student_nurse

I am very interested in Buddhism, so I emailed a Tibetan hospital in Dharamsala (India) about volunteer work. They will not take students, but have many nurses and doctors that work there. I wanted to do this while simultaneously teaching the monks/nuns how to read. After the Chinese persecution of the Tibetans, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people fled to India. Now they need basic computer and English skills in order to become more competitive economically. They will pay for your living expenses (food/housing), even if you do simply a short-term assignment.

I'm still a student, but during rotations the thing that grossed me out the most was a patient's tongue - he had not brushed in weeks, and his tongue was coated with white gunk. It was so disgusting. I had the job of brushing his teeth, and the image of the whole thing was a lasting nightmare!

I'm in nursing school and work PT as an STD phone counselor. The hours are very flexible, which is really important. Also, I extended my 2 yr. program to a 3 yr. program - you may want to see if your school offers the same thing. It is VERY, VERY difficult to work in the same semester that requires clinicals. Searh the web for aid as well. You would probably qualify for a federal student loan (as long as you're not in default, and have never declared bankruptcy). There are scholarships and loans available for nursing students all over the country. Your financial aid office might have suggestions.

In my state, a person cannot work as a CNA unless they are certified. In order to start working within a hospital environment, I began by taking ECG's (6 weeks on-the-job-training) and then worked in the pharmacy making IV's. After I finished my biology degree, I left the hospital and began working in labs - boring, dreary work. I wanted something more people-oriented and exciting (hospitals are very energetic places), so now I'm working on a BSN. I think it's a great move. You could go to school while simultaneously working in an allied-health job (one that doesn't require licensing).

I'm a 30 year old student. Many of us are pursuing second degrees, in fact. In my class, there is at least one social worker, one engineer, one person who worked with the Peace Corps on two different assignments, and one author of a children's book. There are probably many other professionals that I'm not aware of. Nursing is a great choice, in my opinion. You DO NOT have to do "floor nursing" with a BSN. You could work as a Clinical Research Associate with a pharmaceutical company (or CRO), work as a job recruiter for a temp agency (helping them fill "technical" or health positions), write a book (BSN,RN is all the title you need if you have something to write about), go into pharmaceutical sales, research, public/community health, work as a travel nurse and "see the country" (and the world!), teach, advance to MSN or PhD (with lots more opportunity), etc... There are lots of possibilities - explore the net!

Also, soap effectively kills bacteria and viruses. Laundry detergent! To be really careful, you could keep your scrubs separated from the rest of your laundry, and just wash your hands after touching them.

Thanks, I really do appreciate it. That's probably very good advice. School is nothing like work in learning actual nursing skills. Thank you!

She's a staff nurse, and works in intermediate care. Her working environment is very pleasant, as far as hospitals go - each nurse is assigned to four patients, and the rooms are arranged around her in such a way that she can see them through their windows. She has a desk with a computer terminal, and a monitor that shows the vitals of all her patients from her desk. Her hospital is much nicer than the ones in my area, even though I work in a large research area. She has been in the field for 30 years, so obviously that's influenced her salary. She's also an EXCELLENT nurse, and takes good care of her patients. She went to a German school, where orderliness is emphasized. She really does focus on the patients. I admire her very much. About the salary - she doesn't work an impossible # of hours. In the past six months she has been to both China and Italy (she likes to travel), and before these trips she works a few extra shifts to make spending money. I think it's an incredible lifestyle! My Mom has always done very well financially in nursing. She is not a "head nurse" (she tried that for a year and HATED it). She loves regular floor nursing. Once again, could it be due to the area? I would love to move out of the South (and to the Pacific NW), but am afraid that the market won't look as good there. A nurse doesn't have to be unemployed here, there are a multitude of choices, but I've heard that this is not the case in other areas of the US.

My mother is an RN (diploma), and has consistently been earning 50K-65K a year for over 5 years. This is not a bad salary! However, she does work the occassional odd shift, and does 36 hr/wk (3 12-hour shifts) so that she can have more days away from work - it pays her for 40 hrs., and provides full-time benefits. Anyway, she's talked me into nursing school, and now I'm in the junior year. Starting pay is much lower ($15.80/hr), but shift differentials can make an enormous difference - only $3/hr extra for second shift, but then $13/hr extra for weekends. For a new grad, that isn't bad! Perhaps there are regional differences?? My mother and I both live in North Carolina. The cost of living is low, so the pay is not bad. We don't have unionization, and perhaps that makes all the difference!